


Snow Day

by emilysmortimer



Category: The Newsroom (US TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:20:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27107854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilysmortimer/pseuds/emilysmortimer
Summary: Will and Mackenzie find themselves with an unexpected day off
Relationships: Will McAvoy/MacKenzie McHale
Comments: 5
Kudos: 17





	Snow Day

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! 
> 
> Just a quick fic to get everyone into the holiday spirit. Enjoy!

He spends the morning on the phone; to Charlie, to Maggie, and finally to Jim (who seems to be oblivious to social cues, and Will’s constant insistence that he should get off the phone). 

They spend hours discussing stories they should probably cover once they’re back in the office. And, honestly, Will is only half listening, because all he wants is to get back into bed and spend the day cuddled up with his girls. But, he understands that the news waits for no one (even on unexpected days off), and so he battles through, listening to Jim drone on and on.

And on.

The snow had begun to fall early the previous evening, and had refused to let up through the night. Now the city was a blanket of white, and it seemed that everything had come to a standstill. 

Charlie had called him at an ungodly hour this morning, informing him that they intended to take a break until the weather began to clear up. He’d snuck out to the lounge to take the call, careful not to disturb his dosing wife, and quickly regretted his decision to forgo socks as the cold air seized him.

His chat with Charlie had turned into one with Maggie, and then the never ending discussion with Jim, in which time Mackenzie had dragged herself from her pit, fed their daughter, devoured her own breakfast, and then retreated to the bedroom, placing gentle kisses to the top of his head each time she passed him (pity kisses, most likely, but he couldn’t find it in him to care). 

In the end, he’s only half listening, to the point where Jim has to repeat himself a couple of times to ensure Will is absorbing the information he’s chucking his way (he is - he’s writing it all down, but he’ll definitely have to read over it later to remember what they’ve discussed).

And then finally, after what feels like forever, Jim says goodbye. 

Will puts his phone down with a sigh of relief, ensuring it’s on silent as he does (he can’t be doing with any further distractions today).

He pushes himself up from the couch with a groan (he can hear Mackenzie in his head making a jibe about him being an old man) before traipsing through to the bedroom.

He stops in the doorway, a soft smile on his lips. His wife is propped up in bed, their baby in her lap, some animated movie playing on the television. 

It’s moments like this that make him want to quit his job and devote his life to his girls. He knows it’s absurd, but they’re the most important things in his life, and he’d do anything to get to spend more time with them.   
Charlotte is nearing one already (and where the hell has that time gone? It feels like just yesterday that she was the size of his forearm, easily portable, always settled when in her daddy’s arms) and he’s worried he’s going to miss out on so much. 

Mackenzie catches him watching them, and a dazzling smile graces her features. Her eyes crinkle in the corners (and if she isn’t the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen), and she pats the bed beside her, a silent invitation for him to join them.

He doesn’t need to be asked twice. 

Charlotte lets out a squeal as she spots her father, which makes both her parents chuckle (much to her delight). She babbles away at him as he climbs beneath the covers, and he’s quick to steal her away from his wife as he settles in beside her.

“Hi, beautiful,” he utters.

She responds by patting at his cheeks with her chubby hands, clearly pleased that her father has finally joined them. And her incessant chatter turns to giggles as he begins to dot kisses all over her face.

And God, if there isn’t a sweeter sound than their child’s laughter. 

Mackenzie watches on in silence, a smile on her lips, enjoying watching the two bond. 

To think that this man - the one that absolutely doted on Charlotte, the one that spoke of her constantly, even to strangers, the one that devoted all his free time to the child and spoiled her rotten (despite Mackenzie’s protestations) - is the same man that spent the months leading up to her birth fretting over his ability to be a dad, worrying that he would turn into his own father (impossible). 

She’s astounded everyday by his selflessness, and is grateful that he proved himself wrong. 

“Doesn’t look like it’s ever going to stop,” Will comments idly as he watches the snow fall in small flurries past the window, Charlotte settling against his chest, once again enraptured by the movie. 

Mackenzie follows his gaze, getting lost in how idyllic the city looks beneath them. 

White Christmases were always her favourite growing up (a cliche, she knows, but a pleasant one all the same), and she’s looking forward to Charlotte experiencing her first. Of course, she had last year, but she was far too young to revel in the beauty of it. 

The snow, the traditions both she and Will have carried out from their respective childhoods, the decorations, the excitement that surrounds the holiday season - she simply can’t wait for Charlotte to be a part of it all, and to fall in love with the occasion the same way Mackenzie did when she was young. 

“Mac?” She’s pulled from her thoughts by her husband’s voice, offering a non-committal sound in return as she turns her attention back to him. He’s looking at her with a puzzled expression, though his lips are turned up slightly at the corners. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” he asks.

“Just hoping the city’s not out of action for too long,” she tells him. “We still have the rest of Charlie’s presents to buy, all the food, the decorations, we need to buy something for everyone in the office…”

She could go on, but the look of amusement on Will’s face makes her stop, and she feels her cheeks flush slightly as she realises she was rambling.

“We have time,” he answers simply, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into him. She huddles against his chest with a soft sigh and a gentle nod (because, of course, he’s right) and focuses instead on the movie that Charlotte is caught up in.

They do, after all. They have all the time in the world. Though their lives are often a whirlwind of work and Charlotte and one another, Christmas is still weeks away, and they’re bound to find time. 

So, instead of allowing herself to fret, Mackenzie settles in her husband’s arms, their daughter cuddled up between them, and spends the rest of her day off relaxing with the two people she loves most in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I really appreciate it. 
> 
> It truly was just a short one to fill the time while I work on something bigger, but I hope it was an enjoyable read.
> 
> Please leave kudos and comments, they mean a lot ♥️


End file.
